So how do I pay for all this?

One thing students and potential students in nearly every field stress out about is how to pay for their education, and LIS is no different. I’ve compiled a list of places to look for support. I’m sure there are some I’m leaving out, so if you know of an extra resource, please share!

Departmental scholarships/fellowships/assistantships: Your department probably has some funding lying around that students compete for yearly, and I definitely recommend giving this a look when you apply. I looked at our scholarships *after* I started, only to realize that the ones I wanted were for 1st-semester students. Ideally, you can apply for scholarships and assistantships and the like when you apply to the school, if not, write the program assistant to find out what steps you need to take to be considered! Another bonus to assistantships and fellowships, in addition to some nice funding, is great experience! You get to work closely with a faculty member and learn more about their work, gain some new skills, and hopefully get a nice recommendation out of the deal as well.

Read on for more funding tips…

ALA scholarships: The American Library Association and its various divisions also offer some scholarships and awards (some of the deadlines are coming up soon-ish too, so you may want to start investigating these!) ALA has general scholarships, scholarships by specialty area, scholarships for support staff, and scholarships for underrepresented groups. I say apply for as many as you can–the worst they can say is no, and if you happen to get a couple scholarships, that’s even better!
Some ALA divisions also offer scholarships. LITA (Library & Information Technology Association) has a list here, and there are some for folks interested in children’s librarianship. I’m sure that other ALA divisions offer funding too, so make sure to check around the sites of those you’re a member of!

State library associations and professional organizations: Most state library associations offer a small handful of competitive scholarships for LIS students (I think the Iowa Library Association offers a few, although I can’t find them on the site). For those of you involved in professional organizations (i.e. for special/medical libraries) either in LIS or not (i.e. a professional organization for educators), check their websites and ask around about funding opportunities.

Odds and Ends: Other options? On campus jobs (make sure to apply for work study on your FAFSA, some folks require it) make some cash for you and give you some great experience (and potential references). Also keep your eyes peeled for one time opportunities: i.e. a scholarship to attend a conference, or an opportunity to write for a book/encyclopedia/journal, etc. Get on as many listservs as you can to stay informed about your subject area and be in the know about new opportunities (I’m on listservs for several print culture and book studies groups, along with several LIS groups and history groups).

FAFSA: I know, it’s loans, not grants or scholarships. But, it’s good to fill out every year whether you end up needing it or not just so you can have a backup if something falls through. I recommend filling it out as early as humanly possible so you don’t have to think about it. Also, you can add up to 10 school codes for the same FAFSA app (I just did a FAFSA for all the programs I applied to for the Fall).

3 thoughts on “So how do I pay for all this?”

Good tips! I know Florida Library Association offers a yearly scholarship as well. Also – many college programs provide scholarships. FSU offers a few to LIS students each year. One scholarship may not be a lot, but it’s something, right?